Time and Tide
by myLink'sLady
Summary: Time passes differently for youkai leading to tragic consequences.
1. Chapter 1

Time and Tide...

Chapter one

Naraku had been dead and gone for a good number of years now and was becoming just a story told to naughty children to subdue them. In the following couple of years to his defeat, many things had changed and progressed; as expected Miroku and Sango had eventually married and now had a small brood of children helping them resettle the slayers village ably assisted by Kohaku. Not all the children were theirs originally, the village had become a place for orphaned children to gravitate towards and none were turned away.

Even some youkai orphans had turned up in desperation, hoping for refuge and a kindly welcome; most too young to realise the irony of seeking protection from a slayer's village, but they had all been received with love and understanding. Sango's mind had been greatly broadened by her travels with Inuyasha on the shard hunt and Miroku could only see all the needy children as small souls in dire straits; plus the fact that Shippou was a frequent visitor put many of the little ones at ease.

The ending of their quest held a mixed blessing for Inuyasha and Kagome; they had reached a crossroads in their relationship and with no side distractions anymore it was time for Inuyasha to make a decision. He wanted to mate with Kagome but now she was reluctant; memories of the encounter with Kaou kept her from accepting Inuyasha's proposal. The sight of his bloodied tears, wept because of Kikyou's death still haunted her; even though Inuyasha had responded to her call and come through the visions of his former love and they had come a long way since then.

But Inuyasha had convinced her that although he had been in great anguish over Kikyou and they had made their peace with each other before she died, Kaou's words were untrue; he had picked up more on the hanyou's distress that he was unable to save the former Miko. If Inuyasha had really wished to follow the completely believable vision of Kikyou into death and because of his love for her, he would have done so and not even Kagome would have been able to persuade him differently. But some of his tears had been those of regret; Kikyou was as she had been before the betrayal, but he remembered that she hadn't loved him completely, wanting him to become human. It was as he had said at the time, he was hurting badly but was unable to share his pain; making him unaware and distant to the others around him.

Normal tears had by now washed away the memory of the bloodstained ones as he'd explained, leaving him very subdued for a long time afterwards; but eventually he had convinced Kagome that his love for Kikyou was in the past and was different to his love for the girl whom he wanted by his side forever. Unfortunately, the news for the well was not so good; it would close exactly one year to the day of Naraku's demise and only Kagome had the choice of living in either era. Inuyasha could only be allowed to stay in his own time; therefore they had a year to prepare and decide if she would stay as his mate or as her Mama's daughter.

Mama and Kagome were inconsolable for a while on learning the news, but as ever Mrs Higurashi came through. She recognised the love that her daughter and the hanyou shared and told Kagome that she would be foolish to give up that love; many parents had to let their children emigrate when they married, this was only a bit different. Inuyasha was hardly less distressed than Kagome, as he had come to value Mrs Higurashi almost as a second mother himself and would miss her gentle understanding.

It was Sesshoumaru who made it better for them. He suggested that it was highly likely that they would both be living in the future time and could make themselves known to the Higurashi family once again, once the well closed. This thought had made everything a lot easier for them all to bear on both sides of the well; even if the wait would be so much longer for the young couple in the feudal era. Sesshoumaru himself had a new agenda which he explained to Inuyasha after the battle.

Calling the hanyou to him privately beneath Goshinboku. Sesshoumaru told the boy that he would be leaving to consolidate his Kingdom in the West and that they would meet again sometimes, but not to fight; Inuyasha was no longer under a death threat from his brother. But that was not to say that Sesshoumaru was relinquishing his purpose in his younger sibling's life; he now offered his protection for Inuyasha and for the hanyou's future family should he wish it.

Those of his companions who were watching the pair discuss things were amazed and a little disconcerted at first, when Inuyasha bowed his head to his brother. It took a lot for the hanyou to submit to the full youkai, but he knew for the sake of any pups that it would be a neccessity for their safety. Inuyasha found that he was actually overwhelmed with gratitude, that finally Sesshoumaru was willing to acknowledge the familial ties that were so important and yet had been so missed in his life.

All that the friends could witness were the brothers' actions, they could not hear the words that for once were kindly spoken; but they did see the older youkai run his thumbs gently beneath his brother's eyes, before he caught the white mane pulling Inuyasha's head back. Exposing the hanyou's throat to his lengthened fangs; Sesshoumaru took great delight in the collective gasp of shock from his brother's friends before he encircled Inuyasha's neck and bit down, puncturing the flesh to make his pack mark. But he was at the same time aware of the phenominal trust his little brother had just placed in him and he felt a swell of pride in the courage of the hanyou.

After that though, with one swift and surprisingly tender caress to his brother's head, Sesshoumaru left to fulfil his self appointed task of renervating the glory and power of his Father's Lands. He left silently with a whisper that if Inuyasha searched for him he would be found; but he anticipated being very busy in the near future and that should his little brother wish it, a place would be found for him in his brother's court. Then he was gone, leaving a bemused but happy hanyou to the care of his future mate and their companions.

To the Daiyoukai, the passing of time meant very little; he had many journeys and visits to make in his personal ambition to restore and improve the Western Province, making it an untouchable domain. This meant travelling all over to other cardinal lords and various dignitaries, establishing allies and using his diplomacy rather than his power. In between his travels were the essential jobs of sorting out those of his staff who could be trusted and who were not wholly self serving to run his Palace and interests with a modicum of ability to use their own judgements.

He found this satisfying to a degree he hadn't thought possible, pitting his own wits against others and making them prove themselves; Sesshoumaru was a great judge of character and could tell by body language and scent any being's honesty. It was imperative that he now found souls who were more liberal in their personal ideas for his own suite and set of rooms and yet who would know their place and value their master's trust; Sesshoumaru would not place Rin in danger from his servants.

He found several tutors for the girl so that she would be well educated and he could not now always take her on his missions, but he had been able to arrange that she had female maids who did not mind the fact they were in service to a human. She also had bodyguards for when she went into the gardens, Sesshoumaru had chosen carefully and wisely and Rin was an engaging child; soon beloved of her staff .

Rin understood her Lord's need to be absent for differing amounts of time, but her welcomes were always consistent; she was modest and discreet, but could not help her childish enthusiasm to greet him from bubbling forth and he was indulgent of her. Truthfully he enjoyed her arms flung around him when he let her know he had returned; her shining eyes brimming with undeniable love for him even when they reminded him painfully of a child he had abandoned to despair earlier in his life. Inuyasha too had once been just as adoring of his older brother before Sesshoumaru had left him and his mother to the cruelties of a world that would not accept him.

But the Daiyoukai would not dwell on the unchangeable past he would grant his brother a prominent position within his new kingdom should the hanyou wish it, with rooms in the Palace for himself and his family. Over the past couple of years the animosity had lessened between them and it was high time there was peace; Sesshoumaru even found himself hoping for a good and solid reconciliation between them. He had grown to appreciate his little brother over the time they had met and had seen the sorrow and the longing in the boy's eyes for acceptance from him.

So now Sesshoumaru found himself making a home where both Rin and Inuyasha would feel comfortable and secure in the Western Lands and this took time and effort Just how much time was of no concern to him until he came back from one of his journeys and found that Rin's welcome was a little more restrained and that she reached higher on his body than he remembered. Her eyes still sparkled with their usual brilliance but she had been taught that now she was to be more decorous as a young lady greeting her lord, than the more carefree child.

The youkai found himself disappointed in his greeting, he had secretly welcomed the physical contact and the warmth that it shed in his normally cold heart; but all things must pass and he found out that human offspring grow up much faster than youkai children. He didn't realise that the years were passing, until one day he was aware that Rin was different; her welcome was mature and shy and he in turn looked on her with different eyes. The child's scent had changed and she had become a woman without his realisation.

Suddenly Sesshoumaru found more and more reasons to spend longer at his Palace and for dignitaries to seek him out rather than the other way round; after all it was only right that now he was established in his kingdom, that he was the one to hold court. Besides Rin was most fascinating and amusing; entertaining him at dinner and he felt himself succumb to her charms. Whilst on his travels, Sesshoumaru had come across Inuyasha and his mate only a couple of times; after all he was busy and so were they and what was a few years to an immortal youkai, but he thought it was time soon to bring them into his 'fold'.

However he had another reason to wish for Inuyasha to attend the Palace and that was that he wished his only brother to be present at his mating feast to Rin. He also wanted to explain and speak to his sibling about the decision to mate with a human, in light of all the trouble he had caused Inuyasha and his mother in the past. He hoped for Inuyasha's blessing before he made the public announcement and he wasn't entirely sure that it would be forthcoming; although he did know that it was not in his brother's nature to hold a grudge.

Sesshoumaru was deliberating on the best way to approach the matter with Inuyasha, when something serious was brought to his attention and the need to visit his little brother became imperative. Jaken had hurried in to his Master's office with a member of a patrol group that routinely kept order and care in the Lord's domain. The soldier came to bend his knee in front of the Inuyoukai who had nodded him forward and told him to speak. In answer, the soldier held out a barely recognisable piece of parchment with illegible writing; however, the Inu's nose told him that the blood of his brother had been used in the thumbprint signature.

The message had been discovered in the long dead hand of a human messenger and would not have been noticed accept for the scent of blood that resembled closely the Western Lord. The messenger had appeared to have fallen prey to bandits and then scavengers; but from what little did remain, it seemed that he had been dead for a good couple of years. The place of discovery led them to wondering why the man had left the normal messenger routes and had taken to the much more dangerous and less frequented paths through the forests. One thing was for sure, they would not find the answer from the poor man who lay dead and unburied; Sesshoumaru gave orders for the remains to be taken to a human village and given a decent burial according to human customs and then got himself ready for the journey to visit Inuyasha.

It was a shock to him to think that at least two years if not three had passed since he had last seen his brother, but it must be so or he would have known by now what the import of the message had been. He could only hope that it was not something as important as the birth of a pup and that he had missed it; he had attended the human feast for the symbolism of his brother's mating, it would only be proper that he should know of pups. Surely it could not be so; or Inuyasha would have informed him in some other way if he thought his missive had gone astray, he must know, as the man would have been declared missing by his family by now. On the other hand, enough time had gone by for pups to have made their appearance.

Sesshoumaru slowed down his pace as he reached the outskirts of the village where Inuyasha and Kagome had built their house. He had been impressed with the design of the building with it's double walls and airy and bright atmosphere; although it was not anywhere near as grand as his own Palace, it was more than adequate for a small family's needs. He would allow his aura to alert his brother to his presence rather than just appear at the door, as this still might alarm them; but he did not wish to pass through the village and so he landed in the forest, dissipating his youkai cloud.

The village scent was not so stiffling out here, although it was close enough for him to discern that it had changed; with a lot of new people and had grown considerably. Something else though bothered him; the scent of an intense fire assaulted his nose and coming around to the clearing of the forest where Inuyasha had made his home, he saw nothing but the scars of a long dead conflagration. Sesshoumaru's intelligent eyes could see that this was no accident; the remains of torches had scorched deeper into the soil and he could smell that an accelerant had been used.

Sesshoumaru's anger blazed and his eyes turned red as he stormed into the village that had turned against his brother, the only thing stopping him from razing the village to ashes itself was the certain knowledge that his brother lived; he would have felt in his own aura if Inuyasha had perished, the pack marking was infallible. A village elder came out to meet him, the man was very elderly and Sesshoumaru realised in disgust that he was to be a sacrifice to the Youkai's anger. Very well; if that was the way it was to be played, the Inu wanted answers.

A crowd stood nervously in the background but Sesshoumaru could see no sign of the elderly Miko Kaede and he correctly deduced that she had passed away; so turning his ruby eyes firmly on the old man he demanded an explanation for the scandalous treatment of the Hanyou and the Miko who had collected and defended the Shikon no Tama and defeated Naraku. The answer which was carefully rehearsed was that the villagers were afraid of the spell that the hanyou had cast over the young maidens and they had no wish for their daughters to defile themselves with him.

They knew that he had a mate, but it was well known that women were ignorant and would whore themselves to youkai and that youkai had voracious sexual appetites; the hanyou was living proof of such a union himself. Sesshoumaru barely contained himself, Inuyasha had lost another home just because the young village girls got silly and giggly over him and no one recognised or cared to note that the hanyou was soley devoted to his Miko. Deciding that it would do no good to kill the old scapegoat as he clearly was not the one who had made the decision; Sesshoumaru merely destroyed the village to rubble with his youkai and made it unfit to live in dispersing the villagers completely.

The retribution seemed to fit the crime in his eyes and he turned to leave when the old man came up to him to speak. He informed Sesshoumaru that there had been one person who had spoken against the hanyou family's trouble and had agreed to help them if requested; he remembered all they owed the couple. However the man had disappeared and no one had seemed to care or be bothered; it was the elderly man's suspicion that the man had been murdered. So that, Sesshoumaru thought, was probably the explanation for the dead man they had discovered; it was high time to find his brother but the man did not know where the couple had moved too.

As there was no trace of his brother or the Miko in the surrounding area, Sesshoumaru decided to go to the slayer's village; thinking that they might have found refuge with their friends. It did not take long before he was approaching the barrier bound new village and he waited patiently and in a non threatening manner to be recognised by the Monk and his mate. But the Lord was puzzled by the less than friendly atmosphere displayed to him; they had parted on good enough terms and hostilities had ceased, so why the almost angry and bitter looks?

It did not affect him, he cared not for their ideas about him; but it was strange none the less. Perhaps then, Inuyasha was under the same misapprehension about him and needed to know that his letter had not reached it's destination. Sesshoumaru scented the air gently in the hopes of isolating his brother but with no success; there was no scent of Inuyasha, the Miko or anything resembling a pup of theirs, plenty of other youkai and human scents but not the ones he was looking for. Neither did it seem that the Monk and Slayer were going to be forthcoming with their aid.

Sesshoumaru could tell that they knew where Inuyasha had set up a new home and rather than intimidate the pair and their misplaced loyalty, he showed them the remains of the letter and told them of all he had found out at the village. There was a gasp of dismay from Sango before she burst into tears, leaving Miroku to explain to his Lordship of the events leading up to the letter.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter two

Three years ago, Inuyasha and Kagome were stocking up a hidden cave with tins of food, dried baby formula and other goods in preparation of the birth of their first pup. Apparently, they had discovered the remains of such items in a cave on the Shrine property and using it as a reference, had found it in this time. They had not intended to live in the cave but it was to be a safe bolt hole; Inuyasha had learned caution early in his life and had several places all within fairly easy reach of each other and all stocked with the essentials for survival.

His foresight was just as well as it happened and when the villagers came to drive them from their beautiful home, Inuyasha had just picked up Kagome and run. It had been hard on the Miko, many of the things that she had brought from her time were destroyed and of course were irreplaceable and she had never been subject to such a hatred before. She had become depressed and for a while a distraught Inuyasha thought she was regreting her mating with him and there had been many tears shed between them, the hanyou especially feeling really guilty at the treatment she had suffered because she was his mate.

Sesshoumaru was getting more angry at what he was hearing, but he was not prepared for the next part of Miroku's tale. Inuyasha had done his best in making the Miko comfortable; but the stresses of everything had pushed her into labour at least a month early and when he had run back to the village to beg the new Miko to help his mate in delivery, he had been refused. Even if the Miko had been willing to assist, she was not permitted to leave the confines of her hut; until the hanyou had departed. That left a completely inexperienced Inuyasha to help his mate deliver their early baby.

The child had survived thanks mainly to it's hanyou blood and Kagome was able to feed him for his first couple of weeks, but her own bleeding did not stop fully and neither of them knew how to make it do so. That was when the friend came and agreed to take a letter to Sesshoumaru asking for his presence and the Tenseiga, just in case as the pup was not strong. The man had also gone to the village Miko again and asked if she had any herbs that could aid Kagome to strengthen her and close the womb properly, before he set off for the Western Lands.

Sesshoumaru told the monk that the old man in the village suspected that the messenger had been murdered before the message could be delivered and now he suspected that Inuyasha thought that he hadn't cared enough to come. He aimed to put that right immediately and asked once again where the little family could be found; it was vital now that they be brought into the safety of his household. The couple looked at each other before the monk answered, saying that they didn't know where the cave was; Inuyasha had brought Kagome and the pup to them asking for help.

The Daiyoukai nodded, it was the next logical step and he would have immediately looked here had he received the letter and he looked around to see if he could catch sight of a nearly three year old hanyou pup amongst the children that were playing outside but nearby. Observing his actions, Miroku swallowed and told him that they no longer lived here; the journey and all that had happened took it's toll on Kagome and there was nothing they could do. She had died peacefully in Inuyasha's arms; just slipping away, a few days after they arrived.

Inuyasha had held her body for three days in a terrible and silent grief as he held vigil; hoping for Sesshoumaru to answer his letter and bring Tenseiga with him, but as time went by and he lost hope he seemed to sink in on himself and they thought that they would lose him as well. It was his pup who kept him alive, the little one needing his strength of aura to feel safe and eventually Inuyasha traded Kagome for the baby and allowed them to cremate their friend. She had been buried in the village as Inuyasha didn't trust the villagers near Goshinboku, even though that is where he would rather have laid her to rest.

He had stayed with them in the village until the pup was stronger and Sango had been able to help him learn what to do with the stored baby formula; Inuyasha was unable to read as well as was needed, to make sure that he got the mix right. Then one night, they had gone; a note had been left to say thankyou; but Miroku knew that they had gone into hiding, as Inuyasha was now once again afraid of anyone turning against him and the pup. His friends had not seen the pair since and even though they had searched with all their skills, Inuyasha and his pup had vanished and Sango was so afraid that they too had died.

Sensing the genuine sadness that came from the pair, Sesshoumaru informed them that his brother was not dead or he would have known; but it was even more essential that he be found. His brother's life bond with his mate had been torn asunder and normally death for the survivor was an almost inevitable consequence, except in exceptional circumstances; one of which was the needs of a pup. The youkai got up to leave, his desire to find his brother growing in the light of his tragic news; he would have no difficulty in locating the boy, not with his superior senses and he promised to let Miroku and Sango know when he had done so.

Using his knowledge of how his brother thought, Sesshoumaru knew that he hadn't gone too far away from Goshinboku or Kagome's remains; therefore it was likely that he was still in the unknown cave which was on the grounds where the new shrine would be built in the future. He had a store of food secreted there after all, but even so a pup would need fresh food as would the hanyou and stored food would still only keep for so long before it spoiled. Once he'd put his mind to it, the pair's hideout was easy to find tor him.

It had to be near water for their scents to be hidden and in the area he found only one place that fit, that was not too close to the village; a tiny waterfall that was near impossible for humans to reach, surrounded as it was by rough rocks and scree. It was an uninviting place; but once around the corner the scene changed and there was grass and a small beach, which had some pebbles dotted about in a most unnatural manner. Sesshoumaru smiled to himself; that was the work of a small child playing if ever he'd seen it and he had, with Rin and a long time ago Inuyasha had played in a similar way.

But there was no other sign of habitation and no sign of life either, but that did not worry his lordship; Sesshoumaru entered behind the waterfall to a small recess behind. Here there was also no indication that anyone lived here and the youkai examined his surroundings more carefully. He walked in to where boulders lay right at the back of the cave and his keen sight noticed two that had less rubble around them and moved them with ease, uncovering a small tunnel with badly hewn steps leading up.

Following these with caution, he entered a large cavern which was obviously serving as a child's playroom if the toys were anything to go by; it was immense and served it's purpose well. The child would not have need to go outside much to excersise with all the things in here; many of them from Kagome's time it seemed, as the crayoned pictures decorating all the walls also would indicate. Suddenly Sesshoumaru knew he was being watched and he turned round to see a miniature version of his brother staring at him with a smile on his face.

The pup was not exactly like Inuyasha now that the Youkai could see him properly; the colouring and general look was the same down to the puppy ears on the head of silver, but his features and happy smiling exressions were those of his mother. The little pup was unafraid of the intruder, noting the family likeness by sight and scent and the lack of hostile intent in his uncle's aura and he went up to introduce himself as Hissori (deserted) then he immediately ran to his father to notify him of their guest.

Inuyasha was of course already aware and had come into the cavern and just stared at his brother blankly; with no expression on his face matching his brother completely. Hissori had run to Sesshoumaru and reached his hand to grab his uncle's hakama to lead him over to his Papa; the Daiyoukai could at first only stare at the minute hand holding on to him, just as Inuyasha had once done and as had Rin. Inuyasha too stared at his son, but noticed that his brother's eyes had softened as he regarded the pup and he knew that his brother would not harm his precious son.

Sesshoumaru approached his brother, never taking his eyes from those of the hanyou and noting the lack of sparkle and generally apathetic air that he gave off with concern.

"Inuyasha, I am sorry; I have heard all that has transpired and regret deeply that I did not receive your letter. Know that I would not have hesitated to come to you and your mate had I known." His amber eyes burned with emotion for his brother and Inuyasha saw it and knew that all his own fears about his brother's indifference were groundless; then as if a plug had been turned off in him, he collapsed in an unconscious state on the floor. Ignoring the dismayed cries of his nephew, Sesshoumaru gathered up his brother then told the pup to cease wailing and collect anything he wished to take with him immediately to the Western Palace.

Thankfully the pup was not stupid even though he was very young and he realised that Sesshoumaru was not going to hurt his Papa, so he grabbed his toy sword and stood waiting on his uncle. Sesshoumaru held Inuyasha supported in one arm and picked up the fascinated pup in the other, after bursting a hole through the roof of the cave; then launched them all on his cloud of youki and flew off towards the Western Palace. Inuyasha did not wake or even stir during the journey and this was not a good sign; he already weighed about a third less than he should do being nothing but skin and bone, Sesshoumaru could feel how slight the boy had become even through the protecting fire rat.

When they reached the West, Sesshoumaru placed Inuyasha in the care of the healers; Hissori was good and went willingly with a gentle nursemaid trusting in Sesshoumaru's words that he would come back as soon as the healers had finished. Rin had come too and was shocked to tears when Sesshoumaru explained all that he now knew of Inuyasha's life and she went to fetch the little motherless pup from the nurse, wanting to come to know him and offer him comfort while his father was tended.

There was nothing that the healers could do for Inuyasha until he came round at least and as always, he only disturbed and roused himself in answer to his pup's call. For Inuyasha the darkness of dreamless sleep was the only escape he had from the crushing hole in his very being that Kagome's death had left; even his pup who was the joy of his life, could lift the prospect of a bleak future for only so long. But that night, Hissori crept into bed with his Papa and whimpered; he was not afraid of the dark, besides he had a nightlight and his nurse was also resting in the room, but he missed Inuyasha's warmth.

As nothing else could, Hissori woke Inuyasha who tightened his arms around the boy and comforted him with low growls while he tried to work out what was happening. He knew that he was in the West with his brother and was being tended, plus all that had happened that day came back to his mind. Now he no longer had the anger and hurt that he had fed his mind to help him keep going, he was exhausted and weak; he knew that Sesshoumaru did not lie, besides Inuyasha could tell his brother's sorrow was genuine, he had not betrayed him.

A whisper of silk caught Inuyasha's attention and he turned his tired eyes to his brother as Sesshoumaru came to sit by his bed and was further astonished when he felt gentle fingers pet him soothingly and he couldn't stop himself whine a little, as he turned his head into the caress. Inuyasha had been so alone since his mate died, his pup notwithstanding; in his heart he was lost, just as he always had been before Kikyou and not like he'd been since Kagome freed him from the tree. Sesshoumaru knew that a broken mating was devastating and Inuyasha had had nobody to understand or give him support.

As neither were sleepy, they talked in soft voices so as not to wake the pup plus the time and situation demanded quiet; Sesshoumaru told his brother of all he had learned about what had happened since finding the murdered messenger. Inuyasha told him that he had known exactly when Kagome had gone beyond his reach or Sesshoumaru's help; the enchanted beads broke and fell from his neck. The recall caused him to weep anew; although nothing like he had when the beads actually broke. Sesshoumaru made no comment about his emotion, but he made sure that Inuyasha could feel his sympathy; if he wanted his brother to recover at all, the hanyou must not feel alienated.

During the next few days the brothers spoke together as they never had before; all the barriers were down between them, yet neither realised that this had happened and both were grateful for the closeness that had been achieved. Sesshoumaru too had never had anyone he could really talk with and he found his brother surprisingly easy to trust with his thoughts. But over those days of closeness and confidences, Inuyasha hardly ate or drank; he had not had any appetite and had been only subsisting since his son was born and while he had made every effort to make sure the pup had everything he needed, he had not been at all careful for himself.

Inuyasha had readily given his approval to Rin and hoped that she and his brother would be happy together; he also noticed that Hissori had settled in very well and that he delighted his new aunt and uncle with his sunny disposition. In fact he was almost inseperable to Rin, who couldn't help but observe that should she and Sesshoumaru have pups themselves, they would likely look like their nephew or his father. Even Sesshoumaru had remarked to his brother how endearing the pup was and spoke of his regrets at his prior treatment of Inuyasha.

After a year or so of living at the Western Palace everything had settled down admirably, Sesshoumaru and Rin were mated; all the special pictures and belongings from in the cave had been brought out and now decorated their rooms in the private wing. Hissori had the run of the gardens and grounds and had started schooling with a kind but firm tutor and was well loved by everyone including his uncle, for whom he had developed a strong attachment; much as his father had done when he was a little whelp. The pup even deferred to Rin and Sesshoumaru sometimes before his own Papa, but Inuyasha didn't mind; far from it, in fact it suited him to diminish in his pup's life now.

Less responsibility for Hissori gave Inuyasha longer to give in to his daydreams, born of his memories of Kagome and much of his day was given over to these happy times; much to the consternation of those who loved him. Inuyasha found it hard to eat or be motivated to anything anymore and was fading away; his family knew this but there was nothing any could do for the hanyou who was losing the will to live. One night when he was awake and living in his dreams he was called back to himself by the presence of his brother again.

Sesshoumaru pulled Inuyasha onto his lap and wrapped him in his tail and implored his brother to hold on for his pup's sake. He received the sweetest smile back and Inuyasha snuggled into his brother, needing the comfort. Then he said softly;

"You do love him Sessh, don't you? You and Rin will take care of my pup, let him grow up happy and strong; I know he won't be your heir or anything, but please take care of him. Do I have our word?"

"Inuyasha, this is foolish talk; you must recover to bring up your pup, he needs his Papa."

"Promise me Sessh; please, it is different now as to how it was when I was a pup and I know you care for him. I understand I was difficult for you and we have had our differences; but he will be no problem, he's a good boy and yer own pups will be hanyou."

"I promise Inuyasha, of course I do and it was never your fault when you were a pup or later. I wronged you then, but you are my brother and I love you; I want you around to live here with Hissori."

"It aint goin' to happen Sessh; I don't want you to use Tenseiga, I only held on for my pup's sake but I know he'll be safe with you and Rin if _you _say so."

"Inuyasha, I promise that your pup will be treated as if one of my own..." He trailed off as with another beautiful smile to him, Inuyasha curled into his brother's chest and drew his last breath; his tasks complete. Sesshoumaru let his tears fall on his brother as he held his body close to him feeling the warmth of his life leave and regretting the wasted years; until morning when Rin came in holding Hissori in her arms. This time the pup's wails did not bring his father's golden eyes to open on him and he was brought into Sesshoumaru's tender embrace instead, as the healers took Inuyasha's body away.

* * *

Epilogue

Five hundred years in the future, Mama Higurashi opened the door of the shrine to meet a finely dressed family who asked to be invited inside on business. It had been a year for her since the well closed, but when one of the young men took of his concealment charm she stared at him; he looked like Inuyasha but with the face of her daughter; however the other two were not his parents. Mama was no fool and as she looked to Rin and Sesshoumaru, understanding dawned and she blanched. Rin immediately was by her side and gently told her the story of Inuyasha and Kagome, although she hid some of the harder facts.

Hissori came and knelt by Mama's feet holding her as she cried out her loss and let her pat his ears and stroke his hair as she searched his face for her daughter's likeness. His tentative smile gave it to her and she pulled the boy into a hug before offering them all tea. Hissori of course knew of his parent's history and had even been allowed to see them come and go through the well once and so he had an idea of who his mother was, he had wanted to warn them of the dangers they would face; but it was not possible, had he interferred there would be no telling how the future could be changed.

A final task had to be done with Mama's permission and it was granted; the ashes of the two lovers were scattered and buried around the base of Goshinboku where they would have wished to be, Sesshoumaru having retrieved Kagome's casket when they cremated Inuyasha and had kept them together ever since. Then with promises that he would return often to see his Grandmother and Uncle, Hissori left to go back with his adoptive parents; who had faithfully kept their word to his father and treated him as one of their own.

THE END


End file.
